Haha! Pictionary Telephone! Yes! The best game ever invented!
I'm Elsendor's brother, and I know that family well too, so I should know!
Awesome game. Get together a group of people and try it!
The more people, the better!

A belated welcome to NarniaWeb, pickle! Glad you're enjoying the forum (and a little Telephone Pictionary too!)

A few belated additions:

At university we played a lot of backgammon, and a card game called Mille Bornes. I'm sure I still have my sets around here somewhere...

A late answer to Shadowlander's inquiry earlier:

Merchant of Venus has just the right level of complexity, I think - enough to keep it interesting but not too much. We learned it pretty quickly. I'm sure you'll have no trouble with it if you like Axis and Allies.

That reminds me: have you played a Napoleonic wargame called Empires in Arms? It appears to be out of print but a number of my friends spent many hours playing that game - along with others like Diplomacy. Ah, memories.

I really like playing card games with spoons. I think my favorite board games would have to be Apples to Apples and Clue. I think the Nancy Drew games are real fun for the computer. A favorite to play outside would be dodgeball and hide and go seek. What would we do without our games!

At university we played a lot of backgammon, and a card game called Mille Bornes. I'm sure I still have my sets around here somewhere...

I've heard of Mille Bornes. It's popular at the boardgame website I frequent, but I've never played it. I think I read somewhere it's a tad bit like Scotland Yard. Sort of. Or I might be getting my games mixed up.

It's good to know MoV isn't too complex. I don't know if it's still in print but you'd be surprised what you can find on eBay. Axis & Allies looks complicated but once you learn the movement/attack/defense restrictions and the sequence of play it's not too bad. Risk players in many cases fall in love with it because it circumvents or gets rid of many of the problems with that game, and the basic game mechanics are somewhat similar. It is a long game (my brothers and nephew and I have seen games stretch out past 12 hours. Yikes! ) but always fun. Hey, we're always looking for a 5th player...interested?

That reminds me: have you played a Napoleonic wargame called Empires in Arms? It appears to be out of print but a number of my friends spent many hours playing that game - along with others like Diplomacy. Ah, memories.

Empires in Arms has quite a following over at that boardgame site. I'm starting to wonder if you should join up . I've not played it before but I've seen pictures of it and it looks like quite a bit of fun. Diplomacy has an evil reputation about it. It's a game where backstabbing "allies" and buddying up with one's enemies seems to be standard fare and expected during a game. Apparently a favorite boardgame of several US presidents I'm told it's a game that will end friendships if you don't know how to...well...take it. I might have to pass on this one.

Ah yes, Mille Bornes. I really enjoyed that game and played it a good bit in my university years as well. A few friends didn't care for it, though, and dubbed it "Mille Boring".

My family are big game people and I find myself playing lots with friends in college. Some of my favorites are Clue, Settlers of Catan, Telephone Pictionary, Quelf, Telephone Charades, Blokus, Guillotine, Nerts (or Pounce or multi-player solitaire), Balderdash, etc.

Quelf is a new game for me, I just played it with my Bible Study last week for the first time. Has anyone else played it? It's like a better version of Cranium and causes a lot of hilarious incidents. I recommend it.

Has anyone ever played Masterpiece? It's a game we have from my mother's childhood, but my family enjoys it. We get to feel sophisticated and educated as we bid for paintings and also have a fun time!

I remember Masterpiece! It's been a few years however. We didn't play it as frequently as other games but it was an interesting diversion.

For some reason I'm reminded of an early electronic game we played back in the day: Electronic Detective. A primitive 'computer' sets up a crime and the players make investigations and accusations (a little like Clue). But, as the game said, "Don't be too hasty and make a wrong accusation. I lost my last partner that way."

We also have played Settlers of Catan and some of the expansions (like Islands).

Shadowlander, my friends are fortunate in that playing Diplomacy didn't end their friendships. And while I don't play Axis & Allies much I know a number of people who do. Have you played the computer version? Each power has its own theme song that plays during the turn. Occasionally I've heard the kids go around humming the US or Russian themes.

has anyone ever played the game "Mafia"? it's so awesome! I have played several rounds of it with my Youth group!

has anyone ever played the game "Mafia"? it's so awesome! I have played several rounds of it with my Youth group!

Please explain it

It sounds very familiar but I know too many games I need to get my bearings straight.

I aways loved Mafia too, first time I played I was in 6th grade I think, but I still play it today during holidays .

Growing up I was obsessed with Super Mario Bros. for NES, and P.O.W. (I used to think that was referring to all the punching, 'pow!' lol).

Also I was always a big fan of 'chase' and a game called 'murder'.
And I liked Chinese checkers, Racko, Clue, Slamwich, Trouble, and Risk (I still like a lot of those).

During long drives, me and my brother would try and find words that started with each letter of the alphabet on signs, see who got to Z first lol.

In the car we play a guessing game. Someone thinks of a person and the others have to ask questions to figure the person out. The first to guess the person thinks of someone new. The catch is the questions can only be answered by no or yes. This game can be a blast!

'Though I haven't heard of "Masterpiece", the title reminds me of another favourite game: Mastermind. One definitely needs their thinking cap for this one.

At university we played a lot of backgammon, and a card game called Mille Bornes. I'm sure I still have my sets around here somewhere...

I've heard of Mille Bornes. It's popular at the boardgame website I frequent, but I've never played it. I think I read somewhere it's a tad bit like Scotland Yard. Sort of. Or I might be getting my games mixed up.

Ah, Mille Bornes! It is a great game.

To answer SL question: Mille Bornes is a racing game with cards. Every time a player puts down a card with a number on it, they advance so many miles in the race. When the first player reaches the designated milestone, the round is over and points are tallied up. (Players get points for the number of miles they traveled as well as doing specific things within the game-play and/or holding specific cards.) The cards are then reshuffled and the and a new round begins. Rounds continue going until one player reaches the designated point value. The game ends and that specific player wins.

What makes the game interesting is that not only are there mile cards, but there are cards that can prevent or help you to put down mile cars faster. For instance: Player 1 has been going like crazy putting down mile stones and is about to win the round. However, Player 2 gives Player 1 a "flat tire" card! Now, Player 1 has to put down a "spare tire" card before he can start putting down mile cards again. Player 1 doesn't have a "spare tire" card, but he does have an "out of gas" card which he wants to use on Player 2. Unfortunately, Player 2 has an "extra tank" card, so (Player 1)'s card is useless. And so the game-play goes on ect.

I have no idea what Scotland Yard is like. You will have to decide whether or not Milles Bornes is like Scotland Yard.

Now, as for games I like to play. I like to like all sorts of games, from cribbage to card games like Kings Corners to Phase 10 Dice to board games. One board game that I have been playing a lot lately is: Killer Bunnies and the Journey to Jupiter

It may look like a dumb kids game but, on the contrary, you may be able to read from the picture "ages 12 and up". Actually, the game is really complex with a lot of details. Personally, I like that kind of game, but I realize that not all people would.

Shadowlander: I love Scotland Yard also. It's one of my family's favorites, but it is nothing like Mille Bornes. At all. It's been a long time since I played Mille Bornes and I can't remember the rules very well, but they are not very similar. Are you a sneaky Mr. X when you play that game?

I have no idea what Scotland Yard is like. You will have to decide whether or not Milles Bornes is like Scotland Yard.

Shadowlander: I love Scotland Yard also. It's one of my family's favorites, but it is nothing like Mille Bornes. At all. It's been a long time since I played Mille Bornes and I can't remember the rules very well, but they are not very similar. Are you a sneaky Mr. X when you play that game?

My late sister Jeannie got me a copy of Scotland Yard when I was about 16, at a flea market or garage sale if I remember right. I read the instructions and thought it looked like it would be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, as with so many of the boardgames I own, I can't find anyone to play them with me, and Scotland Yard fell in that category. My brothers/nephews will only play Axis and Allies with me and my wife will really only play Yahtzee, Sorry, and Monopoly: Deal. She offers to play Monopoly (or Monotony as I call it) but my extreme dislike for it keeps me from dredging it up. My copy of Scotland Yard went missing after I joined the military and I've been trying to relocate it, but unsuccessfully. I suspect it's in my parents' attic, and if you knew what my parents' attic looked like you'd understand that there's almost nil chance of coming across it again. I own roughly 30 boardgames and I have no one to play them with!

A slight list from memory of what I've got (and if you're in the neighborhood please feel free to stop by, I'm always up for a game! )

- Scrabble
- Monopoly 50th Anniversary Edition (this one has gold-tone player tokens, wooden houses/hotels, and two additional tokens; the battleship and artillery piece.
- US Air Force Monopoly
- Star Wars Monopoly (*sigh* I hate Monopoly)
- Trivial Pursuit - 1980's Edition
- Trivial Pursuit - Genus II Edition
- Trivial Pursuit - Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition
- Risk
- Castle Risk
- Risk - Lord of the Rings Edition
- Monopoly: Deal (card game)
- Scrabble Slam (card game)
- Ticket to Ride (my only Eurogame)
- Broadsides & Boarding Parties (you don't want to know what I paid for this...otherwise a really novel and fun game from the 1980's)
- Axis & Allies - 3rd Edition (80's)
- Axis & Allies - Revised Edition
- Axis & Allies - Anniversary Edition (this one cost me $100. My wife grimaced when she saw the bill but I'm glad I bought it...they run $400 now! The gameboard is enormous!)
- Fortress America (with the infamous Saddam Hussein box cover no less)
- Battletech (collected over the course of almost two decades)
- The Omega Virus (Mall Madness for boys, but with a sci-fi theme. The game talks )
- Midway
- Battle of the Bulge (wargame)
- Battleship
- Sorry!
- D-Day (wargame)
- Yahtzee
- Screaming Eagles (jet fighter combat)
- Uno (at the Spousal Support Unit's insistence...I have no idea how to play this)
- Chess (4 or 5 separate boards/pieces)
- Checkers

I have more but I can't remember. And of course no house would be complete without a deck of standard playing cards, so upon request a game of free poker or 500 Rummy is always fun too. I know people who have 200-300 boardgames in their collections so I'm waaaay down on the low end. I came within a hair of buying Settlers of Catan but my wife won't play it and you need 3 people at the bare minimum, so that was a bust.

I'm up for a game of anything...any takers?